Awhile back, almost a year actually, I first wrote about the reggaeton track Mirame, featuring South Asian beats, Reggaeton superstar Daddy Yankee, relative newcomer Deevani, and the production of Luny Tunes. In the time since that Post, and this one by Manish, Reggaeton has gone the way of Bhangra in mainstream hip-hop, perhaps even a bit further (how many Bhangra articles reached 7 pages in the ny times arts section?) and is headed either towards the path of continued success in the mainstream, or as Bhangra has, to remain popular for the most part only amongst its orginal ethnic fan base.

For those of us that try to follow some of the trends in desi hip-hop, it’s clear that now more than ever (it took awhile, didn’t it?) that desi remixers are coming out with tunes that reflect the current reggaeton vibe that has in the last couple of years eclipsed mainstream American hip-hop. Desi DJs such as New York’s Lil Jay (hear his Reggaeton remix of Bikram Singh’s Kawan here) and Scotland duo Tigerstyle (hear their remix of Mirala Bien featuring Labh Janjua here) along with others have been incorporating popular styles into their remixes for years, but the incorporation of reggaeton with Bhangra, or Bhangraton as the name is slowly catching on, just seems to co-exist with a certain ease that I can’t seem to hear when Redman raps over an Asha Bhosle hook. With Bhangraton there seems to be a natural synergy in both the rhythmic and vocal stylings. And so it’s not too odd to think that something more, perhaps something bigger could come of a formal connection between some Bhangra and Reggaeton producers.

Enter the Rishi Rich Project, which includes Rishi Rich, Jay Sean, Juggy D, and Mentor and Luny Tunes himself into the equation. From MTV Desi News:

“Hitmakers Luny Tunes, who produced Daddy Yankee’s ubiquitous summer anthem, “Gasolina,” are teaming up with Two Point Nine stars, Rishi Rish, Juggy D, and Jay Sean to bring about a new sensation in dance music.The two camps are producing the first official bhangra-and-reggaeton compilation album, which includes 16 tracks, with eight songs from each genre.Producer Tunes says the combination is a natural fit, “Juggy D and Jay Sean — it’s the best of reggaeton with the best of bhangra.” The compilation album will be released on Universal Records in late October.”

The first track to come of this project, ‘Push It Up’ (Aaja Kurieh) is making its rounds on the British Asian radio shows right now, and while my initial listens of the record don’t point to anything spectacular as of yet, the potential for this album to push both genres forward, either individually or together as Bhangraton, definitely exists.

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